


For What We Wished For

by eviruu, sayomiya



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Gen, Possible Future Romance, this was started on a whim and we have no idea what we're doing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-24
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-04-27 08:33:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14421507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eviruu/pseuds/eviruu, https://archiveofourown.org/users/sayomiya/pseuds/sayomiya
Summary: In a school dedicated to the creation of powerful warriors, there is always something lurking around the corner, and it shows up at the least convenient times.[ Ensemble Stars Fantasy AU ]





	1. background

**Author's Note:**

> hi there! we're miya and evi, and we came together to write this story for fun~
> 
> notes from miya: hello! as you can see this is pretty random and the idea came from a dream i once had :") regardless, i hope you enjoy the story!!
> 
> notes from evi: the coauthor is very dead and she will see all of you in aidoru hell
> 
> please note that the first few chapters will be prologues dedicated to giving background and stuff c: as such, it'll be situated pre-war~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is just to give some basic background knowledge of this AU!

In a world of magic, anything can happen.

Magic comes in many forms; many shapes, and they are used for many things, but it the end, they all stem from the same roots, planted long ago and affiliated with rules of the world that many people could not even begin to understand.

Magic wielders have become more and more commonplace, and their abilities are born from the primary elements of the universe, which is that of Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Light, Dark and Mind. However, with each person, they are able to bend their elements in different ways and forms, shaping it to develop a style unique to them. 

Such wielders are born with are their primary element as well as their strongest one. A second (or more) element(s) are able to be developed by people through intense training; though, they are significantly weaker than their primary one. There are those who are able to have an affinity to three or more types of magic, though they are considered very rare. These magic users are higher sought after as although, their magic causes the user to become worn out more easily, they can easily adapt to their situation and make quick work of their opponents.

However, with this magic deeply involved with the world, there comes the negative side-effects of it. 

Emotions are one power source of this magic and it often affects their magic. The user’s very mental state could cause their element to fluctuate. Possibilities include their magic being lowered to an extent; others involve it morphing into a different form of the same element. The main issue with emotions is that strong negative emotions could cause their elements to run rampant. 

This results in the creation of monsters, beings imbued with negativity from all humans around the world. The monsters differ in form and power based on the type of negative emotion/strength of emotions they were created from. The monsters can only truly die when killed by the creator and are only frozen temporarily when killed by someone else.

Schools were created to enhance these magical abilities. Some may enter to further their magic talent, taking them to new heights for their own pursuits, be it hobbies or jobs. Some may enter to become warriors, defending the land against monsters born from negative emotions. Some may enter simply for acquiring strength.

Yumenosaki is one such of these schools. This school is known for their intense training regime but besides that, rules are not typically enforced very well. Many of the students are known to be slackers and end up not amounting to much after graduation. In the recent years, the standard of Yumenosaki has decreased as it has become common knowledge that they do not churn out many warriors of good quality. As such, faith in this school has dropped and less people have started to consider it as a school of choice for training future warriors.

And thus...


	2. prologue - on this certain day

“Ah, Eichi-kun! Hello!” 

 

The boy’s face broke out into a smile as he spotted his friend in the distance, ignoring the way his messy blue locks fell over his eyes as he ran over. 

 

“So it’s you, Tsumugi.” Eichi looked relaxed as usual, and Tsumugi admired it; the look in his pale eyes were soft, yet there was a certain sharpness behind it that reminded him of Rei. “It’s good to see that you’re lively as usual. Is there any reason you’re here?”

 

“No, not really.” The boy was still a little out of breath from running, but his eyes were bright nonetheless. “I just saw you and thought I would say hello. How’s your day been?”

 

“Quite average, but I suppose nothing bad has happened today. Of course, there’s that plan we were carrying out, but that is going smoothly as well…” Eichi trailed off and glanced at him. “I really do appreciate your help with everything.”

 

Tsumugi laughed. “Of course! I’m sure your plan will be a huge success. Besides, we’re friends, so I’ll be by your side every step of the way!”

 

“That attitude of yours really is something,” his friend replied, and his tone was unreadable. It almost unsettled Tsumugi; Eichi’s words was always hard to understand, after all. “But thank you. You’re an incredible—“ He paused ever-so-slightly, just enough to make him uncomfortable. “—friend.”

 

That made Tsumugi beam despite the way the last word seemed just the smallest bit uncertain. “You’re my best friend too! I’m glad you feel the same—ah!”

 

He paused mid-sentence as he stumbled on nothing—really, he just had a penchant for being clumsy—and the stack of paper cradled in his arms went flying everywhere.

 

Before they could hit the floor, though, a gust of wind held them in mid-air for a moment, and it took a few seconds before Tsumugi could recover all his documents.

 

Eichi shot him an amused look. “That wind magic of yours does come in handy a lot, doesn’t it?”

 

“Yes! It helps me out a lot,” Tsumugi smiled. “Especially since I trip over nothing so often. It’s not flashy or anything, and it’s not particularly strong compared to people like you or Rei-kun, but it’s something useful!”

 

“Really…you didn’t have to give me such a long-winded answer,” Eichi joked. “I already know all the details about your magic. Still, though, I wish you could appreciate your talents just a bit more. Your wind magic may seem commonplace, but you are very skilled with its execution.”

 

The other boy graced him with a sheepish grin. “You’re going to make me blush,” he mumbled, although he had already turned a little red from the compliment. 

 

“Have some pride. Someone like you should think a little higher of yourself,” the blonde answered. “I guess we ended up talking a lot, so do you want to get lunch together? The canteen is nearby, and we could head to the garden afterwards. I want to continue talking about my plans as Student Council President, and I could think of at least a few people who I wouldn’t want to overhear that.”

 

“That works for me,” Tsumugi nodded. “Just give me a moment to pack these papers.”

 

Eichi almost laughed as his friend stumbled again, but his mind lapsed back into the wayward train of thought he had lost when he’d bumped into his classmate. Then again, maybe the coincidental meeting was a good thing; Tsumugi was a never-ending riverbank of data, after all.

 

He was startled out of his daydreams when the other boy tapped him on the shoulder, but he made sure not to show it on his face.

 

“Ah, are you done?”

 

“Yeah! Just give me a moment…” Tsumugi zipped up his bag and tossed it over his shoulder. “Done! Let’s go!”

 

Eichi stayed silent for a second, casting his gaze over the wide, open grounds of Yumenosaki’s campus.

 

Everything was so peaceful, so _soft…_ but it was also plastered over with a layer of cotton, and it was never-changing in a way that made him sick. The teachers were barely strong enough to train the students, and most of the students had little motivation in actually wanting to _succeed_ as a warrior.

 

If nothing changed, how were they going to survive once they had graduated? How was _this_ Yumenosaki supposed to be one of the country’s top warrior-training schools?

 

“Eichi-kun?”

 

…had he paused for too long?

 

“Sorry, I was just thinking.” He looked back up at Tsumugi’s face, gullible and bright and kind—someone like him would surely have a place in the new system he’d been thinking of implementing, right? “Let’s go now.”

 

His ideal Yumenosaki was still peaceful, still the same glorious school he had come to admire, but one that had all the protective cotton ripped off and one that ensured that only the very best warriors would be able to succeed and defend their country.

 

The vision made him smile unconsciously, and his friend gave him a curious glance that he brushed off.

 

Even if he needed to drench this beautiful place with crimson in order to restore its former glory, he would do it.

 

No matter what it took.


	3. prologue - when dreams are flammable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi we're not dead 
> 
> notes from miya: aaaA thanks so much evi for helping with anything concerning eichi because i cannot write him at all :"DDD (neither can i write second year rei or action scenes but shh) 
> 
> nonetheless, i hope you'll be able to enjoy this chapter too; your support really means a lot to us!!!
> 
> notes from evi: I am currently dying from exams and societal obligations, pls send help
> 
> Seriously tho! Thank you so much if you’ve read up to this point. I know we’re currently just at the prologue but it’s super fun to write this au! I promise I will write more scenes as soon as I escape from life :D

“I knew I would find you here, Keito~”

 

Eichi entered the student council room, spotting his childhood friend sorting documents in a corner. 

 

“And I see that you’ve already put your plan into motion.” The boy raised his head from his work, suppressing a sigh while turning towards him. “How incorrigible. Don’t you think you might be taking things too far?”

 

“You of all people should know how far I’m willing to go for my dreams,” Eichi laughed, walking towards the table set right in front of the window.

 

The room looked entirely professional with books set in chronological order. The light from outside filled it with an almost ethereal glow, which Eichi suspected was what they were going for in the first place.

 

He couldn’t really remember who else were in the student council, or at least who cared about their duties like Keito did. A few faces had stopped by every now and again, but they had been too uninteresting to take note of. 

 

Even the student council president, who had garnered respect from students and teachers alike in the past, ditched the school for a transfer program until recently, with a tall glass of a deep red drink on the table the only clue that he was here in the first place. 

 

“Say, Keito, how would you say Sakuma-senpai is doing? After all, you’re the one who spent the most time with him this past year~”

 

Pushing his glasses up, Keito displayed irritation as he replied. ”You’re going to fight him in a couple hours, aren’t you? Why don’t you just find out for yourself later?”

 

Eichi let out a small laugh. “You say that, but aren’t you worried for both your oldest friend and your newest one? I have already beaten both Shinkai-kun and Itsuki-kun, you know?”

 

At that, Keito remained silent, choosing to cover the silence with the shuffling of papers. 

 

“I should head out and prepare now. It surely won’t be an easy fight,” Eichi said, keeping the slightest smile on his face while stepping towards the door. “Do check it out later and lend me some of your passion. I’ll show you how much I have grown.”

 

— 

 

Damn, he was mad.

 

His head was  _ hurting _ — the sunlight was far too strong, and it wasn’t the average run-of-the-mill type of headache people got. It felt like a goddamn crevice was splitting his brain in two.

 

_ Curse Eichi Tenshouin.  _ That phrase rang in Rei’s head like a slightly muffled bell, and it had been ringing for a long time. That angel-faced devil of a wielder had torn the school to pieces and somehow, he’d been caught in the middle of all of it.

 

That over-enthusiastic junior of his was yapping about something he couldn’t care less about. He was stepping into a losing battle and he knew it— Tenshouin had already beaten Kanata and Shu. Thankfully, they’d manage to keep Natsume out of the battlefield, but it didn’t change the fact that their lives were about to be destroyed.

 

As he stepped to the holding area where they waited before their battle, he caught the second-year’s eye. Tsumugi stood beside him, poised and discussing some matter he couldn’t quite catch, but he was more concerned with Tenshouin.

 

The blonde, aware that someone was glancing at him, raised his head, and shot Rei a thin smile, one with the self-assurance of a person who was at the edge of victory.

 

“Hey, Sakuma-senpai! Ya listening?” He wished he could possess the same amount of energy and optimism that Koga did. “We gotta focus! The match is starting soon and we’re going to crush them, right?”

 

He wasn’t sure what he replied with, but it must have satisfied Koga, because it made him shut up.

 

The alarm above the door sounded, signalling for the participants to go into the arena. Rei sighed—whatever it was now, they just had to try their best.

 

Tenshouin was the first one to head to the exit, not even bothering to look back again while Tsumugi trailed after him like a lovesick puppy. 

 

“C’mon, it’s time for our grand battle,” Rei said as he started to approach the arena himself. Koga quickly ran after him, enthusiasm clear in his stance.

 

That all too horrible sunlight came down on him again. Rei raised a hand to his eyes and he was able to make out the shapes of Eichi and Tsumugi who were already at the opposing end of their stage.

 

The crowd up on the bleachers roared upon seeing the four all gathered there, protected from the upcoming battle with barriers from their teachers’ magic. He would bet that at least half of them were  _ fine  _ supporters. Humans were always quick to follow whatever seemed to benefit them, not caring about the suffering of others.

 

As soon as Rei and Koga both took their positions, the referee began spouting the usual rules. It couldn’t hurt to hear it again; after all, it had been a while since he had last heard them.

 

“This is a two-on-two battle between  _ fine  _ and  _ Deadmanz _ . Magic is allowed to be utilised in this match, but any deliberately fatal attacks will be penalised. The match will continue until either both members on a team are rendered unable to battle or the time limit of 30 minutes is reached.” 

 

The referee glanced between both ends of the arena before starting to talk again, “Now that both sides are ready, the match will start.”

 

The audience members practically shouted with excitement as they joined in the countdown. “3… 2… 1… Begin!”

 

— 

 

Was the sun frying him as easily as a stove would cook an egg, or was it just the heat of Koga’s fire?

 

“You’re excellent as ever, Sakuma-senpai.” Eichi’s smooth voice rolled over him like acid, and he chose not to respond; instead, he dragged Tsumugi’s patchy shadow over once again, cursing silently as the blonde managed to avoid the worst of it.

 

He allowed himself a split-second to observe his partner. Koga leapt and rushed at Tsumugi with a ferocity that reminded him of a bloodhound, and the intensity of the flames that chased the bookish second-year around like heat-seeking missiles sparked  _ something  _ in his heart.

 

“Eichi-kun!” Tsumugi, distracted by the situation that Eichi had landed himself in, tried to move forward to help, but that just gave Rei even more of an advantage.

 

“Tsumugi—” Eichi grimaced, a strange expression that caused him a funny kind of satisfaction, and he brought Tsumugi’s shadow forth, the inky mass now bigger and stronger than before. “Stay back. You’ll just make things worse.”

 

Rei managed to hit him this time, and the weak, unfocused gust of wind did little to defend Tsumugi against Koga’s barrage of attacks.

 

“Worry about yourself,” Eichi called to his teammate. “It would be bad if you were to be eliminated.”

 

The two of them parted for a moment, time seeming to slide to a standstill for the one moment they rested before Rei charged forward again, attempting to capitalise on the self-proclaimed Emperor’s weakness and end this battle.

 

He had walked in knowing he would lose, but now, as the familiar rush of adrenaline filled him, he had regained the tiniest bit of hope. 

 

“Your shadow manipulation is as great as it was displayed on the Internet,” Eichi spoke, continuously bouncing back and forth to avoid Rei’s constant onslaught of attacks. “Though I can’t say that I’m not curious on how you obtained Tsumugi’s blood to achieve such great control.”

 

Rei merely shrugged. “I have my ways. Besides that, though, I see that you’re the same as usual. It’s not unreasonable to have a dream, but are you really going to trample all over others to achieve it?”

 

He took the time to study the blonde them, searching for any trace of remorse or regret, but Eichi’s expression was set in a mask that he couldn’t read.

 

That made his stomach churn. Him, the demon king, being unable to know what someone was thinking? It was practically unheard of. 

 

Eichi smiled at him, something saccharine sweet that made his blood run cold, because really, who would be sane to smile in the middle of a battle that they were losing?

 

“Many victories cannot be achieved without some sacrifice.”

 

He spoke then, just as Rei had swallowed him in shadows, and he was absolutely still as he moved in to take the final blow.

 

Then, like the sudden sound of a car’s windscreen shattering into tiny, tiny fragments, the blonde moved. 

 

_ How—?  _ There was no way that his opponent could have escaped. Was he trying to prolong his inevitable defeat, or was  _ Rei  _ the one that had been puppeteered in a useless, decorated battle all along? 

 

“Tsumugi!” he yelled, urgency clear in his voice, and the blue-haired boy nodded, pushing Koga back with a burst of wind and reappearing at his teammate’s side before he could even see it happen.  _ Was he always that fast?  _

 

It turned out that pausing in surprise hadn’t been the best decision, because that had cost him everything.

 

“Koga, watch out!” 

 

That was the last thing he was able to say to his junior. For the first time in his life, Rei Sakuma had  _ hesitated,  _ and he was only able to look as Eichi rose above him on an updraft of wind. 

 

When Koga opened his eyes again, they were no longer his own.

 

“Damn it, damn it, damn it,” he muttered under his breath, because there wasn’t much he could do when the battle was three on one.

 

“It’s been a long time since I felt this young,” Eichi hummed, and it felt so wrong seeing such a serene sound slip out of the usually noisy boy’s mouth. “He really does have so much energy to him. You raised a good child, Sakuma-senpai.”

 

Eichi’s words felt unnatural with Koga’s voice and Rei felt a shiver of uneasiness yet again.

 

He narrowed his eyes, doing his best to brush past Koga and head for the blonde’s unconscious body at the corner of the arena. Tsumugi stood guard there, and damn, was he exhausted, but it was the only way to get Eichi’s soul out of his junior’s body.

 

“I’m sorry about this, Rei-kun,” Tsumugi was uselessly apologetic as ever, and it felt more like he was laughing at him when they were in the middle of a match. It was just more salt in the wound.

 

A burst of wind spiralled out of his palm, and at this point, it was enough to knock his exhausted self back. He fell on the ground from the force, and he struggled to get back up just as Eichi forced a grin in Koga’s mouth.

 

“He sure has a good ability. He should learn to train it more, especially under your guidance.” He was sure that Eichi was just taunting him at this point, and hell, he didn’t want to admit that it had worked.

 

He’d never thought he’d see the day where Koga—the hopeless, besotted boy that would have done anything to make sure Rei won, would be pouncing on him so ruthlessly, spheres of fire forming around him as he prepared to strike.

 

It was like some distorted image of hell.

 

The fireballs merged themselves into a huge, flaming circle, and he could feel the smoke starting to fill up his lungs. It was like acid, burning away until there was no flesh left, but whatever remaining of his pride didn’t allow him to show it.

 

“What a pity,” Eichi breathed. “You really were a prodigy until the very end, Sakuma-senpai.”

 

And then the circle exploded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uwu (x2)


	4. prologue - and when the curtains closed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!! we're back; sorry we took so long to update! had to deal with things in life and stuff like that yeah
> 
> this is just miya speaking currently, but thank you evi for helping out with the chapter as usual!!! we hope you enjoy~

When Eichi opened his eyes, he was greeted with the pasty white of the ceiling and a few seconds of startling silence.

 

It took him that much time to register his surroundings. He’d ended up in the infirmary again, he knew that much— he wasn’t a stranger to the small, whitewashed room, after all; he’d been there far too many times.

 

He’d been...fighting Rei and Koga. He remembered that much; he remembered out coming out victorious in Koga’s body, and he remembered Tsumugi running up to congratulate him on yet another win.

 

Eichi let out a sigh. He already felt like he was about to die, but he didn’t want to— he couldn’t. That thought repeated itself like a mantra.

 

_ Can’t die, can’t die, can’t die. Work harder, work harder, work harder. It’ll be okay in the end. _

 

More than anything, he needed to show Keito that he was able to reach a happy ending.

 

“...certainly amusing. That aside, are you alright with me being the villain here?” 

 

He glanced up in shock, startled out of his thoughts—he hadn’t realised that he wasn’t alone. His heart skipped yet another beat as he saw Hibiki Wataru perched at his bedside, long silver hair trailing behind him as he looked back with a wide grin on his face.

 

“Oh my, are you still tired from the previous battle?” As much as he adored the man sitting beside him, Wataru’s voice was  _ loud,  _ and it filled up the small room they were in. “I don’t blame you! That was truly amazing, I must say. My heart was racing, and it was like the first rose of spring had bloomed in my heart!”

 

“Hibiki...kun?” Eichi’s voice was smaller than he’d intended it to be, and it was lost in Wataru’s booming shouts.

 

Oblivious, the Oddball continued to ramble. “That said, I have to tell you that Rei was absolutely  _ furious  _ about losing! He’s in quite the state right now; you’re quite the powerful emperor to do that. Congratulations!”

 

“I’m sorry, but—” He sighed in relief as Wataru quietened down this time. “Is this about tomorrow’s live show? I didn’t remember calling you in.”

 

“Of course!” the silver-haired man replied. “This is all part of a script—a play, a ploy, whatever you want to call it, right? It is all quite fascinating, but perhaps the writing is awful and I’m unable to see what role I have in all of this. I’m able to play any role perfectly, but see, if you want me to be the villain, how exactly would you like me to go out? I could get stabbed by a knife and die while letting out a scream of death or agony, or I could respond with an embrace or a kiss! I came here to confirm that—your wish is my command!”

 

His ears rung from the sound, and he was still a little dazed from the fact that his idol was right next to him, conversing with him as if they were old friends. “Um, couldn’t you have confirmed this with Nagisa-kun or Hiyori-kun? Our organiser Tsumugi-kun would also have been a good choice, right?”

 

“Don’t be silly!” Wataru laughed. “The writing for this is simply horrendous, but even a monkey can see the main character here—would that not be you, Tenshouin Eichi-kun?”

 

He shivered at that. Not just because Wataru had been able to see through all his plans, but because he’d called him by his name.

 

“Hibiki-kun, I’ve been slaughtering your precious friends one after the other, but…” He trailed off, fiddling with his thumbs as he spoke. “I’m not sure what else is going to unfold beyond ‘all’s well that ends well’. Even now, I can’t imagine winning against you, even though such a brilliant performer as yourself would not dare to venture off the script.”

 

“One’s imagination is endless, so please do your best,” Wataru grinned. “If you are a proper idol, though, it would do you good to keep the rest of your thoughts to yourself before I hold you in deep contempt!”

 

“It’s because of the kind of person you are that I—”

 

Eichi looked up to realise that Wataru had already disappeared in a flourish of petals, the crimson splotches the only hint that he’d been here in the first place.

 

He glanced at the tiles of the infirmary with a forlorn expression.

 

They would meet again tomorrow, and he would finally arrive at his long-desired reality.

  
  


—

 

“Are you doing better?”

 

Rei groaned at the voice. He didn’t feel like moving at all; he wasn’t sure if he  _ could _ , at this point. “Nice joke.”

 

“I’m leaving DEADMANZ.” Keito’s voice was no-nonsense, straight to the point, and it made Rei look up at him in mild curiosity. He’d always liked that about Keito anyway. “I’ll be forming my own unit, and I already have someone in mind to ask.”

 

“Right, right. I’d already suspected this.” He sighed, forcing himself to sit up straight. “Besides, no one would want to join an Oddball that had just gotten destroyed in front of a public audience. Have fun throwing away your future to help that no-good friend of yours.”

 

His friend shook his head. “It is not that. I have my own reasons...and I am not throwing away my reasons, Sakuma-san. I have just found a better one that I intend to follow.”

 

Rei laughed, but it had no energy to it. 

 

“Even if that means losing your only chance at your dream?” he asked, voice bitter.

 

Keito paused for a moment, but he still nodded firmly.

 

“Even then, if it’s something I believe in, I’ll sacrifice all I have for him.”

 

—

 

Unlike the previous battle, it was raining. Pouring even. The patter of the rain was faintly audible even as it collided with the almost completely soundproof barrier encasing the entire arena. They couldn’t postpone such a momentous battle lest they face angry mobs sat amongst audience. It was, after all, finally time for  _ fine  _ to face the last Oddball.

 

Said oddball sauntered out of the waiting room with a black-haired boy at his side, a hockey mask obscuring any facial features and preventing Eichi from identifying him.

 

Wataru caught Eichi’s stare and after giving a nod to the boy who then assumed his position on the other side of the arena, walked up to him.

 

Brandishing a singular rose to the blonde, Wataru smiled, then laughed, “Why do you look so forlorn, dear Emperor? You’re ready to take flight on the airplane of your dream!”

 

Turning towards the audience, he raised his voice, “You’re all attending the final curtain call. Cheer! Rejoice! Upon this grandiose stage, bear witness to the tale spun by  _ fine’s  _ own hands!”

 

The spectators roared at Wataru’s command, clearly excited for either the reward of seeing their team and beliefs succeed or just the fact that the most powerful of Yumenosaki were soon to be defeated.

 

“You’re way too loud, Hibiki-kun. There’s just too much energy coming off you,” Eichi sighed.

 

Lowering his voice to it’s standard volume again, he continued, “Someone has to make up from the gloom in the room! You have accomplished a feat like no other! Defeating all us Oddballs is incredibly impressive!”

 

Eichi glanced up at Wataru’s beaming face, then down at his own palm. He couldn’t respond. He didn’t know how to respond. He’s achieved his goal, but why does it feel so empty?

 

“Hello, blank Emperor~? Why, Eichi, there’s no need to worry. You have established your role as the superior, yes?” Wataru still had that bright aura on him while speaking. “I will reassure your mind with this: thank you for creating us Oddballs. While I haven’t interacted much with them, we are now united under the same title as friends.”

 

“Friends, huh…?” The words came out of Eichi’s mouth before he even realised it. He turned his head over to Nagisa and Hiyori in the corner, who seemed to have come into the field during his conversation with Wataru. Hiyori clung to his silent partner, whining about some stuff that Eichi couldn’t particularly care about. Meanwhile, the silver-haired boy nodded along to the other’s whimsies while he admired yet another coddled fossil held gently by his fingers.

 

At the other end of his view stood Tsumugi. What exactly did he hold his classmate as? A tool? An acquaintance? A teammate?

 

A  _ friend _ ?

 

He faced Wataru and muttered, “I admired you the most. I still do. So, please, help me fulfil  my ending.”

 

“Indeed. Let’s have the most amazing battle, Eichi.” Wataru spoke, interrupting his thoughts. His braided hair bounced as he made his way back to his masked ally.

 

_ Amazing?  _ There was nothing amazing to all of this anymore. Yumenosaki was drenched in a sea of blood now, and everything was in shades of the same monochrome grey. Even the students that hadn’t been involved in the war couldn’t come out unscathed.

 

He’d torn out the weeds—at least,  _ that  _ was certain. The laidback air that had filled the school before was now replaced by a thick cloud of tension, and people fought tooth and claw to be able to climb over the others who had been left killed by the pressure.

 

He did this.

 

This was his dream.

 

So he laughed, as ironic as it was, and faced Wataru. “Yes, let’s enjoy this.”

He forced all the thoughts to the back of his mind. He could think about the consequences after all this was done—worrying now would just distract him.

 

“Uh, Eichi-kun?” A small voice from behind him cut off his train of thought, and he turned to see Tsumugi standing behind him, hands fiddling with each other as he stared at him. “I know the battle’s going to start soon, but...I have a question that I absolutely need to ask, if you don’t mind…”

 

He blinked. “What is it? Can it wait until after the battle?”

 

“Actually, it’s bothering me quite a bit, and I don’t want to be distracted when we’re fighting.” Tsumugi gave him a soft, apologetic smile. “It’s not just about me, but Nagisa-kun and Hiyori-kun as well...it was noted in the contract, but is it really true that we’re being dismissed after this battle is over? Did you make some kind of mistake, Eichi-kun?”

 

That made his breath catch, which would be fine for someone normal, but even the smallest slipup for him was dangerous for his health. “What do you mean, Tsumugi? I would never make a mistake in any one of my contracts. It was made clear that the rest of  _ fine  _ will be dismissed after this battle. You aren’t needed anymore, the revolution we planned has been carried out perfectly—shouldn’t you be be happy about this?”

 

Tsumugi froze. “Happy? Why should I be?”

 

“You’re a kind person, Tsumugi.” Eichi smiled, a genuine, fond smile, because he knew it was true. “So I’m sorry that someone like you had to become my underling; that someone like you had to suffer and trample all over others for my sake. I’m impossibly grateful for how useful you were, but it’s time for you to be set free.”

 

“No.” His unitmate shook his head. “I didn’t stay by your side because of that...I thought the contract was just a joke…you don’t understand why I stayed by your side?”

 

That made Eichi pause. He didn’t get what Tsumugi was saying at all.

 

“Don’t you normally enjoy paperwork? This isn’t any different…” Eichi trailed off. “You worked for me because of your mother, right? Paying off her loan money is easy—I can even get her counselling or strip her of her custody rights if you want to! Or did you want to take revenge as well? That can be arranged.”

 

Tsumugi remained silent, expression unreadable, and it was as if he was dissatisfied with Eichi’s answer.

 

“Then why…?” Eichi asked, genuinely confused with Tsumugi’s words. “Why would someone like you become my friend if it wasn’t for the money…?”

 

The shorter boy ignored him, and he never knew how badly it would hurt to be ignored by someone—or perhaps it had just felt this way because it was Tsumugi that was ignoring him. It was like he was kicking a puppy that was already down.

 

Something nasty knotted itself in his stomach, and he could only watch as his unitmate merely turned so that he faced the stage.

 

Before he could speak any more, the bell rung to signify the start of the battle.

 

He almost missed it. It was a good thing that his teammates were far more alert than he was—Nagisa leapt out first; he fit the “aggressive” character that Eichi had planned for him perfectly, and Hiyori strolled behind, as languid as ever.

 

“Hockey Mask-kun” entered in front of his idol, water swirling between his fingers as he prepared to fight a losing battle. It was almost pitiful, with the way  _ fine  _ dominated in every way, but this was all as he orchestrated.

 

Tsumugi didn’t even look back at him as he walked out. He faced their opponents head-on, but something felt off with the winds he conjured up—it was colder than usual, and stiffer than Eichi had anticipated them to be.

 

“Aoba Tsumugi-kun! That’s you, isn’t it!” Wataru grinned, pointing a finger at the boy in question and startling his teammate in the process. “You’re the greatest clown I have ever encountered. It puts me to shame, you know? I have nothing but  _ Amazing  _ to say to all of this!”

 

There was something lying underneath his bright tone; something meant for only Tsumugi to understand.

 

“I…I really thought that…” Tsumugi’s voice was quiet, and he could barely hear him over the winds he was making to boost their speed. “...that if it was Eichi-kun, everybody would be happy.”

 

_ Ah.  _ His heart almost stopped at that.

 

Wataru was smiling again. “Well, you can’t force everyone into being happy, can’t you? No one can! You aren’t God.”

 

They fell silent once again, against the backdrop of noises from their attacks, and despite how dizzy he felt, there was something aching in Eichi’s chest that confused him. It felt like his head was stuffed with cotton wool—beside him, Hiyori laughed and sliced at the helper with a blade of wind, and one of Nagisa’s latest creations was chasing him so that he was as far from Wataru as possible.

 

All of this was so that Eichi and Wataru could stand in the spotlight, fighting, and so that every member of the audience would be able to see their tragic story draw to a close.

 

“Eichi-kun, you should at least put some effort into the battle.” Tsumugi’s voice was icy.  “It’s all within your grasp now. The future that I—no, that we strived for.”

 

The unpleasant feeling in his stomach didn’t go away, but he forced a smile. “Of course. Thank you, Tsumugi. I will win this battle and revolutionize Yumenosaki. I promise you that...but besides that, I should have listened. We should have behaved more like teenagers—maybe we could have gone out and enjoyed a round of karaoke.”

 

Tsumugi quirked an eyebrow, but his expression didn’t change. The displeased face he wore was something only Eichi had seen before, and it tore him apart to know that he was the cause of Tsumugi’s agony.

 

“...please don’t digress.” His teammate averted his gaze. “You should pay attention to the battle, Eichi-kun. I’ll support you from behind.”

 

“Your little bluebird is right!” Wataru laughed, waving his hand and causing a deck of poker cards to appear in his hands. “Even if you do your absolute worst right, now, however, I will still be killed. Is that not wrong?”

 

At that, he drew a card from the pile, letting it turn into a burst of flames that, if nothing, was just for show. It was just to rile up the audience even more—even Wataru was just following a script to suit his dirty hands.

 

He sighed. “This...is this a real victory, Hibiki-kun?”

 

“It is indeed, Eichi.” Wataru didn’t stop smiling, even as he prepared to go in for the final blow. “After all, you’ve worked hard to get to this point as the protagonist of this tale. The final step is killing me, your long anticipated antagonist. Isn’t that right?”

 

“...yes. I suppose so.” 

 

He didn’t deserve the title of “protagonist” at all. All he was doing was sitting on a throne of corpses, a throne that others had worked to make for him.

 

Had he really achieved what was most important to him? 

 

Or had he lost the most important thing along the way? 

 

Either way, it didn’t feel much like a victory at all.

 

Wataru’s helper had been defeated long ago. All that was left was to strike, and everything that he worked for would be in his hands. Yumenosaki would function exactly as he wanted it to.

 

His teammates waited quietly near the end of the stage.

 

...no. He couldn’t think of these things now. At the very least, he couldn’t back out at the last moment, and throw to waste all the work they had put in. Teammates like them, who he’d recruited for one purpose alone—if he were to give everything up because of the nasty feeling he had right now, it would be the same as laughing at them.

 

That gave him the courage to take a step forward.

 

With that in mind, he closed his eyes, unable to bear to even look, and he struck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that wraps up our prologue!! we referenced magician's assemble,,,a lot
> 
> we hope you enjoyed, and thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> u w u


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